How to Get $30 Per Month Off Your Internet Bills Via ACP

Soaring inflation in the United States has seen internet bills facing price hikes, sparking fears that the struggle for users to pay could affect education, communication, and employment opportunities for millions.

The Biden administration announced Monday that 20 internet providers had agreed to cut prices and provide high-speed internet access to eligible users across the U.S. as part of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The program could cut the cost of internet for users by up to $30 per month, or up to $75 per month if they live on Tribal lands. The funds are not paid to the users but are issued directly to the internet providers.

"High-speed internet service is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity," the White House said in a statement. "But too many families go without high-speed internet because of the cost or have to cut back on other essentials to make their monthly internet service payments. Lowering prices—including the cost of high-speed internet service—is President Biden's top priority."

ACP-eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to help them buy a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. Internet providers, including industry giants such as AT&T and Verizon, and smaller firms like the Jackson Energy Authority in Tennessee, have agreed to offer tens of millions of ACP-eligible households high-quality internet plans for no more than $30 per month.

The ACP was initially launched in December to replace a temporary plan called the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB).

Who Can Apply?

According to the White House briefing, experts estimate that some 48 million households—or nearly 40 percent of homes in the country—qualify for the ACP.

So far, more than 1,300 internet service providers are participating in the program, and more than 11.5 million households have signed up to receive the ACP benefit.

Households are eligible for the program if their income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level or if they meet certain criteria, including participating in the following programs:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
• Medicaid
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
• Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
• Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools
• Federal Pell Grant (received in the current award year)
• Lifeline
• Certain Tribal assistance programs, including Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

How Do You Apply?

Applications depend on various factors, such as whether the household had already signed up for the previous EBB benefit, or whether users are already Lifeline subscribers. In those instances, internet users should contact their providers directly to discuss the ACP.

There are three main ways to apply for the ACP. Interested households can complete the ACP application form online, download and print a form to send by mail, or contact their internet providers directly.

Links to the online form, an eligibility checker, a list of participating internet providers, and details of the postal address are all provided here.

Where Can People Get Help?

Further details and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be found on a dedicated page of the Federal Communications Commission's website, in various languages.